Latin American & Caribbean Art, Individual Artists, Artists - Biography
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Overview
At once deeply personal and brilliantly perceptive, this dynamic reconsideration of the life and work of Frida Kahlo is curated by the prominent feminist artist Judy Chicago, who helped introduce American audiences to Kahlo's paintings. For decades Judy Chicago has worked tirelessly to ensure that women's artistic achievements become a permanent part of our cultural heritage. In this sumptuous, large format book, she turns her attention to the work of Frida Kahlo, one of the world's most revered female painters. In this volume Chicago, together with her collaborator, art historian Frances Borzello, has handpicked a selection of Kahlo's work, a hundred portraits that speak to the full spectrum of women's experience. The result is a fascinating conversation between two artistic icons, one that is further enhanced by a dialogue between Chicago and Borzello, an authority on women's portraiture. The book features each work on its own spread, facing commentary by Chicago and Borzello. Essays explore Kahlo's many facets: woman, artist, historical figure, and inspiration. Designed to evoke a Mexican retablo, or altarpiece, this volume reframes Frida Kahlo for a contemporary audience.
Synopsis
At once deeply personal and brilliantly perceptive, this dynamic reconsideration of the life and work of Frida Kahlo is curated by the prominent feminist artist Judy Chicago, who helped introduce American audiences to Kahlo s paintings.
Editorials
Library Journal
Popular feminist artist Chicago shares her interpretation of this Mexican mega-artist with Borzello (Seeing Ourselves: Women's Self-Portraits). Two essays and nine chapters feature their short comments on 100 of Kahlo's paintings, presented topically. They focus on her body of work rather than view her opus through a tragic lens as other authors have done. They are successful when pinpointing feminist references and objectively exploring Kahlo's iconography. Chicago's response is often personal and visceral, while Borzello's is calm and informative; both succumb to biographical allusions, e.g., when Chicago admits her reaction to the affair between Kahlo's younger sister Cristina and Kahlo's then-husband, Diego Rivera. This large, fine-art eye-candy volume also references other feminist artworks on its colorful heavy stock pages. The writing is conversational but does not always provide consistent interpretative interplay. The lack of thorough documentation and an index as well as intermittent page numbering may frustrate academics. VERDICT A pleasant dip into the iconic works of this ubiquitous celebrity. Recommended for comprehensive circulating art collections and Kahlo, feminist, and Chicago fans.—Marianne Laino Sade, Maryland Inst. Coll. of Art Lib., BaltimoreBook Details
Published
September 1, 2010
Publisher
Prestel Publishing
Pages
252
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9783791343600